Sheffield social entrepreneur launches Chef's Counter scheme offering dining experiences and cookery classes

Chef Chris Hanson runs a Sheffield social enterprise offering opportunities to vulnerable people. Now he is launching a new scheme for professional chefs. Laura Reid reports.

Chris Hanson founded a Sheffield social enterprise with a simple aim - to support and change the lives of some of the city’s most vulnerable and disenfranchised people.

He’s been working to do that since the launch of Blend Kitchen in 2016, offering training and paid work experience in the hospitality and culinary sector to people struggling to find work.

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Having grown from running pop-up cafes and street food events, with training courses in community centres, to last year moving into a purpose-built restaurant and events space on Ecclesall Road, Blend Kitchen has trained more than 100 people in the past 12 months including young adults with difficult backgrounds, individuals with mental health conditions and people with learning disabilities.

Chris Hanson, who founded Blend Kitchen, launches Chef’s Counter in Sheffield this month.Chris Hanson, who founded Blend Kitchen, launches Chef’s Counter in Sheffield this month.
Chris Hanson, who founded Blend Kitchen, launches Chef’s Counter in Sheffield this month.
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He is the brainchild behind Chef’s Counter, a series of ticketed events, a combination of dining experiences, guest chef nights and cookery classes, to be held at the Blend Kitchen site.

“Chef’s Counter is fundamentally about providing a platform for talented chefs to showcase their abilities to a wider audience,” Chris says.

“Each event has been designed to offer great value for money, delicious food and a relaxed atmosphere. With each event limited to 20 diners, our goal is to ensure each element of every dish we serve is cooked to perfection.”

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The first event in the Chef’s Counter programme takes place on June 25 and is called ’A night at the Indian’.

A team of chefs will be serving a six course tasting menu of dishes inspired by Indian restaurant favourites.

The first Chef’s Counter on Sunday event will follow on June 26, incorporating a family-friendly three course Sunday dinner and a number of children’s art activities.

Next month will then see the first Chef’s Counter cookery class, on July 12, with a focus on seasonal fruit and vegetables and plant-based small plates.

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A number of other events are planned for later in the year and private dining packages are also available for special occasions.

Chris, who grew up on an estate in north Sheffield, hopes to raise enough money to open a permanent site for Chef’s Counter next year and his focus for the new venture is to provide professional chefs wanting their own restaurants an opportunity to cook their own food.

He began his own culinary career with more than four years at Whitley Hall Hotel, before undertaking community work with a Sure Start programme in the early 2000s.

There he worked with families to teach cookery skills, ran a community allotment and helped parents set up a small catering business.

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He returned to Sheffield after the show, later running life skills classes for vulnerable adults, cookery activities and community events with a charity.

It was here he was inspired to create Blend Kitchen and moved to working on it full-time.

To book onto Chef’s Counter events, visit www.chefscounters.com or www.facebook.com/chefscounter

Professional chefs can apply to Chef’s Counter by emailing their CV, a covering letter and a copy of the menu they would like to cook to [email protected]

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